Tag: automation|robotics|warehouse automation

Dexory has partnered with Northamptonshire warehousing and logistics 3PL Linkline to unlock operational efficiencies using real-time data at its warehouse in Kettering, with a view to further roll-out to the wider estate.

Linkline already uses various automation solutions, and plans on building a large, automated hub in 12–18 months’ time to support its growth plans and ambition to drive greater efficiencies for its customers. This drive and innovative approach further demonstrates a commitment to invest in technology, making this an ideal partnership for Dexory.

Dexory’s solution addresses the urgent need for improved space utilisation and increased efficiencies, combining powerful analytics with autonomous robots capable of capturing rich image and sensor data from across any warehouse. This powerful combination provides comprehensive and actionable visibility across warehouses of any size, as well as connecting warehouses across the global supply chain through Dexory’s digital platform, DexoryView.

Linkline aims to introduce its data collection autonomous robot Dextor (the name the Linkline team have given the robot) to the Kettering site next week (w/c 11th September). Dextor will then operate every night, scanning the full 250,000 sq ft warehouse, integrating into the day to day warehouse operations, working alongside the operations and warehouse teams. Progress can be followed on the Linkline Transport LinkedIn page during this first week.

James Bowes, Chairman of Linkline, commented: “We’re hugely excited to start putting Dextor to use in our warehouses. We’re always looking at technological solutions to drive more value for our customers and Dextor will do just that. We anticipate strong time savings for our warehouse operators who currently have to manually stock check at regular intervals throughout the week whereas now this process will be completed at night by Dextor.”

Oana Jinga, Chief Commercial Officer & Co-founder of Dexory, added: “Dexory is really excited to have Linkline on board and really seeing the value of data-driven technology for their operations. Integrating DexoryView into their Kettering warehouse, will allow them to unlock greater efficiencies and proactively prevent any errors resulting from stock inaccuracy, delivering on the best point of service for both themselves and their customers.”

With less than a week to go until FANUC UK opens the doors to its Coventry HQ (2nd-4th November 2022), the automation specialist has unveiled the full speaker line-up for its Open House event.

Bringing together experts from all facets of the industrial automation and robotics sector, industry thought leaders are set to discuss high-level topics such as Industry 4.0 and the future of manufacturing, the power of partnerships and the route to net zero in a series of panel discussions, keynote speeches and in-depth case studies across the three-day event aimed at showcasing the benefits of automation to UK manufacturers.

Day 1 – The power of partnerships

Opening the event on Wednesday 2nd November will be FANUC UK’s Managing Director, Tom Bouchier, who will set the tone for the event by discussing the current outlook of UK manufacturing and what FANUC and their partners can do to help. Following on from this will be FANUC’s newly appointed Head of Sales, Oliver Selby, joined by representatives from the company’s system integrator network and key partners. Their panel discussion will cover the power of partnerships and the fundamentals of good collaboration.

Visitors will also hear from FANUC’s Engineering Project Manager Ben Edwards, as well as representatives from Mazak Europe and key influencers for UK manufacturing.

Day 2 – Future planning

The second day (Thursday 3rd November) will focus on Industry 4.0 and the future of manufacturing. Highlights include a session by Phil Hadfield, UK Managing Director and Northern Europe Sales Director for Rockwell Automation, who will talk about how to meet the challenges of modern manufacturing.

This session will be followed by a practical guide by FANUC’s Paul Richards on what to consider before purchasing a cobot, before David Reardon of Plastics Industry Awards 2022 finalist Bloom in Box unveils an in-depth case study on how the company is powering its FANUC ROBOSHOT entirely through solar energy, assisting in its goal to become carbon neutral in the next 12-18 months. A panel discussion on the importance of putting sustainability at the forefront of any manufacturing plans rounds off the second day’s presentations.

Day 3 – Education, education, education

The final day’s sessions (Friday 4th November) centre on the future workforce and the importance of upskilling existing staff. Patrick Daniels, Head of National Competitions and Careers for WorldSkills UK, will address the audience on the impact that WorldSkills has made on the industry to date, while a representative from the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) will outline the importance of investing in R&D and uniting industry and academia.

Visitors will also have the chance to pit their skills against this and previous years’ finalists of the WorldSkills UK for industrial robotics.

Hands-on robot demos and training

In addition to the high-level presentations, debates and keynote speeches taking place each day, the afternoon sessions will have a more practical, hands-on feel, incorporating live demonstrations, FANUC Academy taster sessions, and a planned preventative maintenance overview. The event will also feature an exhibition area comprising more than 35 leading automation companies, including Rockwell Automation, Mazak, Mitutoyo, Bauromat, Mills CNC, Mollart, Nikken and Robopod, who will be ready to showcase their knowledge, expertise and latest innovations to the hundreds of visitors in attendance.

CLICK HERE for the full agenda and to register your attendance at the FANUC Annual Open House (2nd – 4th November 2022, Ansty Park, Coventry).

Caja Robotics, a leader in robotic and flexible goods-to-person solutions for order fulfilment, will be working closely with Bastian Solutions, a Toyota Advanced Logistics company, to integrate Caja robotic systems in the USA. The two companies will leverage each other’s capabilities and leadership positions in the material handling space to serve a range of projects and customer sites.

“We are excited to collaborate with Caja Robotics and add their flexible and modular robots to our solutions roster,” said Matt Kuper, Vice President of Global Sales and Applications at Bastian Solutions. “Caja’s technology is very impressive as it adapts, scales and responds to the needs and demands of our customers, whether on large or small sites. Our business collaboration comes perfectly in time as customers consider and gear up with flexible automation for peak demands in 2022. We look forward to working with Caja and introducing their technology.”

Bastian Solutions is a trusted supply chain integrator committed to providing clients a competitive advantage. Its portfolio of solutions includes advanced automation such as mobile robots, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), automated guided vehicles (AGV) and goods-to-person technology, each considered on their own merits to provide tremendous productivity gains and a quick return on investment.

It also provides custom robotic and conveyor manufacturing as well as high-quality material handling software. With offices across the United States, Bastian Solutions plans to evaluate opportunities to deploy Caja as the right automated order fulfilment.

Ilan Cohen, CEO at Caja Robotics said, “Bastian Solutions is a leading supply chain integrator, so this is a significant step for the future of Caja in the USA. Together, we will expand our US foothold, expand sales efforts, and provide Caja solutions to a variety of customers to solve the ever-increasing challenge of fulfilling orders, especially during peak demand. We’re excited for the collaboration and opportunities to come.”

Born in response to the daily challenges experienced in the world of order fulfilment, Caja developed a smart warehouse technology that easily adapts to existing infrastructure and is flexible enough to handle peaks in sales. Caja Solution combines two robots: a Lift robot and a Cart robot, that work synergistically to optimise order picking operations. With Caja’s advanced AI-powered software, the robots move bins between workstations and the inventory, constantly optimising inventory management.

 

Making the best use of industrial warehouse space has become even more urgent at the start of 2022 with the latest figures suggesting a severe shortage is due to the pressures of e-commerce.

A recent report has highlighted that only 18.1 million sq ft of space remains in the UK despite the building of 11.1 million sq ft built in 2021. Although this is highlighted as the equivalent of 26 Wembley Stadiums, nearly 75% of this space has already been let or is under offer at the start of 2022. There is no escaping the fact that despite the demand increasing for warehouse space, the ability to outrun the demand is not keeping pace with changing consumer trends.

Yet the prospects for extra warehouse space are alarming in the short-term. The demand for e-commerce is causing a surge in demand for extra warehouse space. This will only increase as the global pandemic has altered the retail environment. But solutions are not confined to increased space: the use of intelligent data can resolve many of these issues by utilising space and delivery schedules to free up warehouse capacity.

The capture of real-time insights enables the measurement, tracking and finding of goods without disruption to the workflow. In an environment of space restrictions and short-term storage, the control of information and real-time data is essential to fully utilise the space and keep stock moving. London manufacturer BotsAndUs has created a fully autonomous robot system called Mim to collect data to create a comprehensive overview and detailed inventory of goods in any warehouse.

This system enables goods to be recorded, identified and shipped faster, creating more space in a warehouse and reducing costs. By controlling the movement of goods in any warehouse space using autonomous data collection, users can maximise the space utilisation and reduce the need for extra space creation. This is not just a short-term solution: the demand for warehouse space will increase steadily as the e-commerce sector expands to include not only retail hardware but also food and drink businesses. These are fast-moving operations that rely on speed of delivery. To achieve that they also need efficient data to keep control of their stock.

Many logistics operations waste time and human resources trying to locate goods in their warehousing locations. Not only that, but they suffer from significant revenue reductions when incorrect goods arrive at their locations and repacked for outbound delivery. Without correct data collection, time and effort is wasted, resources underused, and deliveries subjected to delays and financial penalties.

The use of autonomous robotics to collect information on stock and assist in the movement of inward and outbound goods will ease the pressure on the logistics’ sector. What is needed now is not panic, but an understanding of the assistance and solutions robotics has for the longer-term issues related to retail logistics.

CLICK HERE to watch a video

Leading robotics and automation specialist, RMGroup, has recently launched an impressive new website, showcasing its knowledge, innovation and automation expertise. The company designs, manufactures and supplies a wide range of manual and automatic packaging machinery, packaging systems and robotic automation to an expansive customer base spanning food and beverage, horticultural, aggregates, chemicals and agricultural industries.

The modern and engaging site incorporates the very latest web development technologies and boasts a whole host of features, including a fresh layout that means that visitors can access every page with ease, regardless of whether they are browsing from a desktop computer, tablet or smartphone.

With the homepage displaying an immersive animation of RMGroup’s comprehensive capabilities, visitors to the site will be wowed from the get-go. Created with the user experience in mind, the site includes many features to facilitate quick and easy navigation. Searching the portal via product or industry produces relevant solutions, including images, technical specifications and supporting material such as videos, case studies and all important customer testimonials.

Key areas of the site include information on RMGroup’s service and support, where users will be able to learn how the company provides its customers with industry leading service and aftersales care, and the media and resources hub, which contains a wealth of valuable content, including brochures, case studies, videos and press releases. Additionally, and following the company’s recent opening of a US subsidiary in Delaware, the site’s content has been configured to provide international visitors with a more inclusive experience. Full language options are also available.

“Developing the new website was something we were eager to do last year, so that we could present our innovative solutions and expertise in an even more user-friendly and engaging way,” said RMGroup’s Rosie Davies.

“The new platform is easy to navigate and intuitive, so whether you are looking for our bulk bagging solutions, automatic bag filling, robot palletising, or the very latest in AGV technology, everything can be found quickly and easily on the new site.”

 

Meili Robots has come up with a list of 7 of the main robotics trends and predictions for 2022.

During the last five years, we have seen robots move from a developing technology to an indispensable tool for a large number of enterprises. Moreover, over the last two years, robotic trends such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration, ubiquitous IoT usage, and rapid design have intensified, while challenges such as supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and pandemic fears all contributed to an increased demand for manufacturing robots.

Yes, it really is impossible to start an article related to trends and predictions for 2022 without talking about the Covid-19 pandemic. After all, it has permanently changed the way of business for many firms and industries all around the world. One of its biggest impacts is, in fact, related to automation. Many businesses have had to suddenly adapt to changes in the market and reshuffle their priorities. Without automation, this is highly unlikely to happen in an efficient and profitable manner.

With their ability to access and use analytics to predict and prepare for market change or the supply chain disruptions, automation programs have been increasingly adopted across a great many industries. Unsurprisingly, this shift towards automation will keep influencing and changing the way business is conducted during 2022, too — and for many years to come.

Let’s have a look at some of the biggest robotics trends and predictions for 2022.

1 – Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

As the growth of RPA is expected to accelerate during 2022, it is also estimated that it will become one of the standard technologies of businesses. RPA is commonly adopted in sectors and businesses that deal with a large number of repetitive tasks.

A good example is the healthcare sector. Many hospitals have implemented RPA to automate processes such as inventory management, invoice management, and appointment scheduling — freeing up more time for employees to focus on more important tasks.

2. 2- Robotics as a Service (RaaS)

Some of the biggest restrictions for smaller firms to add robotics to their manufacturing facilities have been employee expertise and the high initial investment. However, with the everything-as-a-service (*aaS) trend on the rise, this issue no longer exists. Now, companies are able to enjoy RPA through Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) models.

These subscription-based models — such as Meili FMS — often include analytics, monitoring, and preventive maintenance, while also offering a wide range of benefits such as rapid scalability and the capability to continuously adapt platforms based on current needs and requirements.

3. 3 – Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) as Data Acquisition Platforms

The demand for AMRs has been growing at an incredible rate — driven by the e-commerce growth, increasing automation in manufacturing, labour shortages, and mass personalisation of goods. In fact, even though the AMR (hardware) market was valued at only €0.88bn in 2017, it is now forecasted to hit €6.17bn in 2022.

Moreover, as AMRs are increasingly being adopted to commercial public spaces, it is expected that they will start acting more like mobile Internet of Things (IoT) hubs. In fact, it is estimated that software for mobile robots alone will add another €2.64bn to the market value of AMR hardware.

Besides their ability to carry out a wide range of tasks autonomously — such as scanning inventory levels or measuring temperatures of refrigerators — they can also provide businesses with real-time data. These insights can help managers streamline their operations, thereby increasing their efficiency, productivity, and revenue.

4. 4 – Multi-purpose Robots & Cobots

The accelerating e-commerce growth has contributed to tremendous growth in the AMR market — particularly in the retail industry. Many retail managers are reaping the benefits of robot adoption when it comes to repetitive operational tasks such as moving inventory and cleaning the floors.

As shopping demands and expectations continue to grow, retailers are expected to add multi-purpose robots to their teams in order to carry out multiple tasks at once, while simultaneously creating an easy-to-manage digital workflow.

Cobots — also known as collaborative robots — are permanently taking over certain jobs as they tend to be faster and more efficient than human workers. As many industries continue to struggle with labour shortages, cobots are in no way cause for concern. After all, they are supposed to take over monotonous and dangerous jobs, allowing human coworkers to focus on more valuable tasks.

5. 5 – Increased Awareness of the Lack of Interoperability

With the continuing trend of cobots in workspaces across the globe, it is no surprise that we are seeing industries such as logistics, manufacturing, e-commerce, and healthcare adopting a second or even third wave of robots. This, however, leads us to one of the major challenges in today’s robotics industry: the lack of interoperability.

Meili Robotics’ CEO, Aldus von der Burg, explains: “Interoperability is a factor that could be easily overlooked by many robot operators. It allows robots to communicate with each other and other systems to enable an efficient and safe working environment.”

He also adds to this that “if not tackled, it can be a crippling pain point that halts the productivity of the facility — or even grinding it to a halt as some, if not all, robots start obstructing or interfering with each other”.

It goes without saying that it is of the utmost importance — as well as expected — that this issue will be addressed during 2022 to promote further development and avoid stagnation in the ever-growing robotics market.

6. 6 – Delivery Robots on the Rise

The market for delivery robots is expected to see tremendous growth over the next few years. The market was valued at €188m in 2021 and is expected to reach nearly €850m by 2026. That is, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 35.1% during the forecast period.

Key factors for the growth in this market include the reduction of delivery costs in last-mile deliveries as well as increased venture funding. In addition, there is also an increased demand for delivery robots in the retail and food and beverages industries — with the retail industry estimated to be holding the largest market share during the forecast period.

7. 7 – Increased Robotics Demand & Abilities

Over the last ten years, we have seen the demand for robotics increase steadily across various industries. As the Covid-19 pandemic, labour shortages, and the desire to reduce carbon footprints all have a significant influence on the ability of humans to carry out tasks, the robotics market is expected to continue to grow exponentially over the next ten years as well.

As robots are increasingly becoming smarter with the help of technology such as AI, Machine Learning, and the IoT (Internet of Things), industries that have adopted robots are also becoming smarter — think about manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and distribution centres. As more of these facilities start automating their processes, industrial robots will be able to operate faster, more efficiently, and more accurately, while eliminating inconsistencies.

HAI Robotics, a global leader in Autonomous Case-handling Robotic (ACR) system for warehouse logistics, is calling its first project in the UK with Chinese cross-border warehouse operator WINIT a success, as deliveries for holiday shopping parcels are about to reach customers.

The project provides 120,000 storage locations with shelving height of 4.3m in a 10,000 sq m warehouse in Tamworth, Staffordshire. By deploying 100 HAIPICK A42 robots and 16 On-conveyor Picking Workstations in the warehouse, goods-handling efficiency is improved between three- and four-fold compared with manual work, with a daily handling volume of up to 50,000 pieces.

The warehouse owner WINIT is a Shanghai-based provider of overall solutions for cross-border e-commerce, and runs overseas warehousing and distribution services in Australia, the US and several European countries. With the project going live, it saw its warehouse throughput spiked, comfortably accommodating the inrushing order-fulfilment requests for cross-border warehousing and logistics from merchants around the world, driven by the online shopping boom since the Covid-19 lockdown.

Demands for global warehousing service has dramatically surged with the flourishing cross-border e-commerce businesses in recent. Custom statistics indicate that in 2020, Chinese cross-border trade volume amounted to RMB1.69 trillion (€0.23 trillion), rising 31.1% from the previous year and the figure is estimated to go up to RMB16 trillion (€2.21 trillion) in 2021. By 2020, the number of overseas warehouses owned by Chinese operators exceeded 1,800, totalling more than 12 million sq m in land area.

However, cross-border warehouse operators are often confronted with some hard nuts to crack.

To start with, a major issue that constantly vexes warehouse owners operating overseas is staff shortages and the rising cost of hiring local labourers. They also found it a headache to maintain a stable workforce in their warehouses, which are often located near commercial hubs in industrialised countries, even with above-average level wages. Automating their warehouses has become a pressing issue.

The second challenge is the huge number of SKUs owned by different merchants, which could range from consumer electronics to baby toys. The fact has raised concerns of storage density and picking efficiency. To meet consumers’ growing demands for short parcels delivery time, furnishing a warehouse with robots that can handle complex order-fulfilment tasks can be a rewarding decision.

Last but not least, a flexible warehousing solution that can be swiftly deployed weighs heavily for cross-border warehouse owners whose growing businesses can’t wait for too long.

WINIT, who found no shortcuts to address those concerns, found the HAI Robotics’ solution a good match for the needs of high storage density, goods-handling accuracy, operation efficiency and flexibility.

With the HAIPICK A42 robot that allows picking and sorting with eight loads in one movement, one worker can handle 450 pieces of goods per hour, which is three to four times faster than manual work. The solution has also improved storage density by 130% with spaces from 0.25m to 6.5m high being fully utilised. The HAIPICK system, which supports intelligent totes identification and labels reading, boasts 99.99% picking and sorting accuracy.

Kane Luo, Vice President of Sales from HAI Robotics, said that a customised plan was made for the project to improve performance, including elevated storage density and innovative workflows to facilitate necessary manual work: “We were primarily obliged to provide ACR system. However, we’ve taken into consideration the whole process from inbounds to packaging of outbound goods. The workstations were also ergonomically redesigned according to overseas standards.”

Invar Group a leader in advanced warehouse automation, has entered into a partnership agreement with global robotic systems manufacturer HAI Robotics to include the manufacturer’s cutting-edge Autonomous Case-handling Robotic (ACR) systems as part of the Invar solutions suite for customers in the UK, Europe and the USA.

HAI Robotics is a global leader in the design and manufacture of ACRs used in order picking, put-away and dispatch operations, while Invar Group has a global network of high-profile customers in sectors such as ecommerce, retail, pharmaceuticals, FMCG and manufacturing. Invar Group is widely recognised for its highly versatile in-house developed warehouse management and control software suit, IWS, and its comprehensive design and integration capabilities for advanced automated warehouse solutions.

Craig Whitehouse, Managing Director of Invar Integration, says: “These are exciting times, robotics has transformed automation in the warehouse. Their flexibility, scalability and low-Capex appeal offers huge advantages over fixed solutions. HAI Robotics has a fantastic range of intelligent ACRs, well suited to the varied demands of fulfilment applications, and so we are delighted to include HAI Robotics’ advanced ACRs in our fast-expanding solutions suite.”

HAI Robotics launched its first ACR system, the HAIPICK, in 2015 and has since developed a family of mobile robots with the ability to carry cartons as well as individual totes, offering the capability to bring multiple cases to pickers or conveyors in one movement. The autonomous order-picking robots can pick and place totes or cartons on shelves up to 7m high and are able to carry up to eight loads at a time, offering a continuous feed for goods-to-person picking stations.

The HAIPICK solution can quickly transform the performance of a warehouse, increasing storage density by 80–130% and improving operational efficiency by over 300% compared with a manual process.

Kane Luo, Vice President of sales for HAI Robotics, says: “The partnership will be able to offer warehouse operators a unique and innovative solution that delivers higher fulfilment volumes, at lower operation costs and with better distribution efficiency.”

The HAI Pick system has been installed in applications across ecommerce, 3PL, apparel, electronics, energy, manufacturing, medicine and other industries. Over 2,000 HAIPICK robots have been deployed in more than 200 ongoing projects worldwide. The latest application of the technology at Australia’s largest online book retailer, Booktopia, has boosted picking and dispatch efficiency by 800% at the company’s 14,000 sq m distribution centre at Lidcombe, New South Wales.

HAI Robotics, a global leader in Autonomous Case-handling Robotic (ACR) system for warehouse logistics, said it is pushing forward the frontier of automated warehousing technology as it unveiled three new products during the CeMAT Asia Expo in Shanghai on 26th October. The new products will help unblock the bottleneck in the intralogistics sector in the yearning for higher storage density and flexibility.

The company showcased at CeMAT Asia, the region’s biggest intralogistics fair, a whole product family of the HAIPICK ACR robots, including two new members: the HAIPICK A3 fork-lifting ACR, A42-FW flexible-width ACR; and the new-look A42T telescopic ACR, which refreshes storage height record in the industry at 10m.

The HAIPICK A3 robot, adopting a fork-lifting picking design, is created for wider storage scenarios in which goods are not necessarily placed inside a box. The design, a major difference from previous generations of HAIPICK robots that use clamping picking, granted larger storage possibilities and better rack space utilisation. Goods that don’t require a container, such as tyres, trays and boards that can be lifted by a fork from the bottom, would be easily handled at higher picking efficiency.

The A3 robot adopts SLAM navigation technology, enabling more man-machine mixed field operations. It is also a good match with environment that has strict control for dust, static and pollution.

The second new product of HAIPICK A42-FW robot targets higher storage density. With a fork that can flexibly adjust according to the size of goods, this robot allows picking and handling of different sizes of totes or cartons.

Warehouse space utilisation can never be too much emphasised, and HAI claims the A42-FW robot is an absolute champion in this regard. On the one hand, with its chassis measuring 900mm in width, narrower than standard aisles of 1000mm, the storage density can be boosted by 5%. On the other hand, its pick height of 190mm to the lowest means that the storage density can be elevated by another 6%. What’s more, the robot can dynamically adjust storage locations according to the size it perceives with the fork and in this way, the storage locations can be increased by 20%.

Along with the new HAIPICK robots, HAI Robotics also launched a new version of HAIQ – the intelligent brain that commands HAIPICK ACR’s operation. HAIQ nova allows seamless interaction with all kinds of equipment such as Kiva robot, slam robot, conveyor belts, etc. The latest HAIQ nova, armed with copious user data from successful projects in different industries, can ensure smooth and optimised warehouse operation.

“Since we initiated the world’s first ACR system in 2015, we have been constantly updating our product as well as solutions, centring on elevated picking height, flexible picking arms, slender robot body and better software system (HAIQ) – addressing the demands for higher storage density, mixed picking of totes and cartons, and more storage locations against the backdrop of surging e-commerce order-fulfilment strain,” Says Richie Chen, the founder and CEO of HAI Robotics.

With over 300 projects running across the globe, HAI Robotics has been constantly learning from successful deployment and is keen to update its ACR technology for better user experience. The birth of the three new products arises from its sharp market perception and from thinking out of the box.